First off in the interests of full disclosure. I must confess that I had already spent a little bit of time on You Tube. So I had some familarity with it.
I get a nostalgic kick out of being able to view stuff that hasn't been seen on the old Cathode Ray Tube (Television for non geeks) since I was a little cookie.
I lurved Conan the Librarian. We've all had times when we'd like to unleash barbarian fury on a patron or two (or is that just me)
As for the 1950's Life's Work Reel on Librarians. Some observations with a caveat. It dropped out on me after 2 hours with 5 min to go, so didn't see it all. But I haven't seen so many wasps since we disturbed the nest under the front porch. Thank Goodness that's changed! As corny as it sounds one thing that hasn't is that it does help to have a love of People and Books, and its still a profession which is largely female dominated. (That's a good thing, before you all start spamming me)I couldn't help but notice the Librarian interupted the teen when he was asking about the TV Book. Very bad customer service. And as for the reference Librarian she seemed to be bombarded with queries where the patrons could and should have come to the Library and done their own research first. What do you think its out job to sit around and answer questions all day. On second thoughts ignore that. One question. What's a Cataloguer, Do we still have those? ;} (OK you can spam me for that one)
Finally my favourite You Tube site is by a guy called appropriately enough 'Just some random guy' He specializes in using plastic superhero comics figures in a format based on the 'Hi I'm a Mac and I'm a PC' ads. Called 'Hi I'm Marvel and I'm a DC' (The two biggies in comic publishing) And has a bit of fun with the characters and conventions of comics and related movies. I find them LOL funny although it helps to be familiar with the said characters and conventions, ie a geek. He does all the voices himself and is currently ranked #61 most subscribed out of the millions of entries, so not bad.
Here's a link to all of his work on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=ItsJustSomeRandomGuy&p=r
And here's the first one just to get you started:
Monday, October 29, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Web 2.0 Awards The Good, the bad & the Indifferent aka week 8 #19
My first observation was that many of the useful sites were already one's that have been looked at through the last 18 points. You sly ol' things.
On the assumption of the 20/80 rule that 20% of our patrons are bibliophiles. I had a look at http://www.lulu.com/ The self publishing site for all budding authors without having to go through nasty old publishers. Definitely worth a second look as is http://www.biblio.com/ a site linking used book shops, and a good source for out of print books.
When it came to the City Guides and reviews. It sounds great in priciple and does seem to have application as a networking tool with LBC (There's that acronym again!) A small gripe however. Of the 3 listed all are Yankocentric and do not search outide of the US, so for local searchers, they weren't. Google Maps maps.google.com at least does this much, although its more guide than review. I also like the idea in principle as you would hope it would lead to a greater degree of transparency and accountability.
Cocktail builder http://www.cocktailbuilder.com/ is one that sounds fun and practical, except I'm sorry, but isn't that what you pay the man behind the bar for, and lets face it, if you're reduced to drinking cocktails on your own, that's no fun at all.
When its comes to shopping for unique items I couldn't go past http://www.etsy.com/ especially if you're fond of handmade walking sticks like me. My credit card got very itchy on this one. Pity most don't ship outside US. Also of note was http://www.threadless.com/ if you're of a mind to design your own Tshirt, although if you have access to publisher, blank iron on's and a colour printer, it would seem a lot simpler. I'm just sayin!
Others I liked were http://www.boxxet.com/ although its strength in being a search index of 'what's hot' is also its weaknewss, in its limited applicability beyond geeks like me. This also applied to http://www.listdump.com/ to an extent, but I can see some broader applicabilty in the odd reference question. And I do mean odd!
This also applies to Yahoo Answers, answers.yahoo.com although when I tested it for an answer on my faulty graphics card I had to wade through a number of less helpful hits first, but to be fair I did keep the search parameters general rather than specific. And I may have found an answer, more than one in fact, so I can recommend this one, with the following caveat below.
Of course it goes without saying , but I'll say it anyway that as with any site which allows content from anywhere on anything, beware the lack of verification. Caveat Emptor still applies, if not more so when it comes to the web.
On the assumption of the 20/80 rule that 20% of our patrons are bibliophiles. I had a look at http://www.lulu.com/ The self publishing site for all budding authors without having to go through nasty old publishers. Definitely worth a second look as is http://www.biblio.com/ a site linking used book shops, and a good source for out of print books.
When it came to the City Guides and reviews. It sounds great in priciple and does seem to have application as a networking tool with LBC (There's that acronym again!) A small gripe however. Of the 3 listed all are Yankocentric and do not search outide of the US, so for local searchers, they weren't. Google Maps maps.google.com at least does this much, although its more guide than review. I also like the idea in principle as you would hope it would lead to a greater degree of transparency and accountability.
Cocktail builder http://www.cocktailbuilder.com/ is one that sounds fun and practical, except I'm sorry, but isn't that what you pay the man behind the bar for, and lets face it, if you're reduced to drinking cocktails on your own, that's no fun at all.
When its comes to shopping for unique items I couldn't go past http://www.etsy.com/ especially if you're fond of handmade walking sticks like me. My credit card got very itchy on this one. Pity most don't ship outside US. Also of note was http://www.threadless.com/ if you're of a mind to design your own Tshirt, although if you have access to publisher, blank iron on's and a colour printer, it would seem a lot simpler. I'm just sayin!
Others I liked were http://www.boxxet.com/ although its strength in being a search index of 'what's hot' is also its weaknewss, in its limited applicability beyond geeks like me. This also applied to http://www.listdump.com/ to an extent, but I can see some broader applicabilty in the odd reference question. And I do mean odd!
This also applies to Yahoo Answers, answers.yahoo.com although when I tested it for an answer on my faulty graphics card I had to wade through a number of less helpful hits first, but to be fair I did keep the search parameters general rather than specific. And I may have found an answer, more than one in fact, so I can recommend this one, with the following caveat below.
Of course it goes without saying , but I'll say it anyway that as with any site which allows content from anywhere on anything, beware the lack of verification. Caveat Emptor still applies, if not more so when it comes to the web.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
The not so Amazing Zoho aka Welcome to the Dark Side of Web Based App's
Well it worked, kind of. I was able to import it into Zoho, and its useable. But there's a but I hear you say? Indeed there is. Granted its only the second time I've used it, but the original doc was in Landscape layout, and this one's in Portrait, which 1. Mucks up the pagination (which is fixable) and 2. Makes the table colums very thin (which is less fixable as there doesn't seem to be an option to change the layout from Portait back to Landscape)
Maybe I'll have better luck with Google. (Nope it more than likely the dodgy graphics card on my PC but nothing more than a search bar and a lot of white space).
ThinkFree? Again it could be my PC (dial up 'sigh') but after registering its taking forever to load. Hang on it may be frozen. Let's hit the refresh button. And again. Bugga this I can't wait all night!
Of course there is another issue that springs to mind with the web based doc's. Seeing as how in this instance its something with people's details on it, ie booking sheet. How secure is it, and what ramifications dooes this have for the privacy legislation? Maybe I'd better delete it just in case!
Maybe I'll have better luck with Google. (Nope it more than likely the dodgy graphics card on my PC but nothing more than a search bar and a lot of white space).
ThinkFree? Again it could be my PC (dial up 'sigh') but after registering its taking forever to load. Hang on it may be frozen. Let's hit the refresh button. And again. Bugga this I can't wait all night!
Of course there is another issue that springs to mind with the web based doc's. Seeing as how in this instance its something with people's details on it, ie booking sheet. How secure is it, and what ramifications dooes this have for the privacy legislation? Maybe I'd better delete it just in case!
The Amazing Zoho aka week 8 #18
When I looked at the extinction timeline (see earler post) I noticed it listed the demise of Microsoft within 10 years or so. At the time I thought that was no more than wishful thinking, but you know; Web based apps like this one, could go a long way toward at least ending their monopoly in areas like MS Office. I mean why shell out several hundred dollars on a program which you can only use on the PC its installed on, or for that matter as far as Business Networks (ie Libraries) go considering you have to shell out a license for each PC you put it on, why bother when you can use web based programs like this which you can access again from any PC. I suppose there is the small issue of needing a web connection to acces it, but its not like they drop out all the time is it:)
Just a thought. Maybe the spreasheet program could be used to access things like Meeting Room Booking sheets from RA PC's Since I've imported this post from Zoho, I'll have to look into importing a document into Zoho as a test. Here goes!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
NEWSFLASH Unshelved on CBR
My fave comic related Website CBR has an article on that funniest of Library Webcomics; 'Unshelved'. I'm all geeked out over it. Check it out.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12150
http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12150
'Ole! aka Week 7 #17
Ok I'm supposed to do a Julie Andrews and blog about my favourite things. Well I think I've been doing that here and there already through the course of this exercise. In the about me section of the blog, with favourite fims, books, TV Shows etc. Flickr Photos with my two puddy tats. Library Thing, where I'm slowly putting more books on, 3 a day, mostly the Tolkien stuff to date. del.icio.us where I've been putting all my favourite websites.
I recall a conversation with a guy called Trevor who used to take the Jolly Jumbuck around the state , putting shows on for local school kids at the Local Library, he once made an observation "Librarians (generically speaking) are obsessed with food" So why fight it here's mine
There's Chocolate of course, and I think Roald Dahl said it best when he said:
"Never mind about 1066 William the Conqueror, 1087 William the Second. Such things are not going to affect one's life.... But 1932 the Mars Bar and 1936 Maltesers and 1937 the Kit Kat - these dates are milestones in history and should be seared into the memory of every child in the country"
Or I could mention my other favourite food. Mexican there's nothing better. There's a cafe in St Kilda which used to make the best Nachos (they may still do for all I know, haven't been back there in years). Then there's a great little restaurant in Melbourne (Russell st. I think) called Taco Bill's , not to be confused with Taco Bells. And there's nothing better than a bowl of Chilli, unless of course the said chilli happens to be crammed into a few tacos or burritos.
Since I've already put my fudge recipie up. Here's my very own Chilli recipie.
CHILLI CON CARNE
INGREDIENTS
500 g. mince. (can be substituted with other meats, diced if pref.)
1 tbs. bacon chips.
1 110 g. tin of corn kernels.
1 110 g. tin of sliced mushrooms in butter sauce.
1 420 g. tin of chilli beans.
1 425 g tin of tomato puree
1 pkt. taco or chilli seasoning mix.
Dash of tabasco sauce
METHOD
1. Brown mince in a microwave on high for 5 min. Drain fat.
2. Add all remaining ingredients stir thouroughly (mainly because its fun) & cook on high for 10 min. stirring once halfway through.
There it is quick, easy and Tasty 'ole!
PS It also makes a great Pie filling!
I recall a conversation with a guy called Trevor who used to take the Jolly Jumbuck around the state , putting shows on for local school kids at the Local Library, he once made an observation "Librarians (generically speaking) are obsessed with food" So why fight it here's mine
There's Chocolate of course, and I think Roald Dahl said it best when he said:
"Never mind about 1066 William the Conqueror, 1087 William the Second. Such things are not going to affect one's life.... But 1932 the Mars Bar and 1936 Maltesers and 1937 the Kit Kat - these dates are milestones in history and should be seared into the memory of every child in the country"
Or I could mention my other favourite food. Mexican there's nothing better. There's a cafe in St Kilda which used to make the best Nachos (they may still do for all I know, haven't been back there in years). Then there's a great little restaurant in Melbourne (Russell st. I think) called Taco Bill's , not to be confused with Taco Bells. And there's nothing better than a bowl of Chilli, unless of course the said chilli happens to be crammed into a few tacos or burritos.
Since I've already put my fudge recipie up. Here's my very own Chilli recipie.
CHILLI CON CARNE
INGREDIENTS
500 g. mince. (can be substituted with other meats, diced if pref.)
1 tbs. bacon chips.
1 110 g. tin of corn kernels.
1 110 g. tin of sliced mushrooms in butter sauce.
1 420 g. tin of chilli beans.
1 425 g tin of tomato puree
1 pkt. taco or chilli seasoning mix.
Dash of tabasco sauce
METHOD
1. Brown mince in a microwave on high for 5 min. Drain fat.
2. Add all remaining ingredients stir thouroughly (mainly because its fun) & cook on high for 10 min. stirring once halfway through.
There it is quick, easy and Tasty 'ole!
PS It also makes a great Pie filling!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Wild about Wiki aka Week 7 #16
I can see myself using this one in both personal and professional capacities.
Looking at the Library aspects. The point about Library Catalogues using Amazon style reviews inserted by readers is just great. I regularly use Amazon, when taking requests, or just for checking what the comments on a book I'm interested is, so I'm all for it.
As far as inviting community input and links, once again given the move towards LBC 'Libaries Building Communities' It seems tailor made for it, by not utilizing it we may well risk LBC becoming just another report which sits on shelves, with the occasional catchcry of 'LBC that seemed like a good idea, whatever happened to it?' NB. I know that in reality this would be just one strand of several in implementing it, but you get my point.
I also like the idea of using it as 'station' for things which need to be updated like say Policy and Proccedure Manuals 'Hint, Hint'.
It was also interesting to see that some Libraries are starting to utilize games in their programs and thinking outside the box and holding tournaments. http://www.libraryforlife.org/subjectguides/index.php/Games
http://libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Services_for_Teens
We've been making a lot of noise in recent years about how teenage males tend to treat libraries as anathema. Surely this is one way of getting them in. Recreation often gets looked down on as a poor second cousin to the other core Library roles; information and self education. But surely if we're all about communities embracing Libraries that shouldn't be the case. If you think having fun in Libraries is a waste of time and resources, then you need to stop and rethink.
Lastly I can also see myself getting into wiki in one of my other hats, by setting up a page for our local church. We're slowly embracing the web and this would be yet another interconnected string to existing static webpages, or more interactive ones like myspace.
Looking at the Library aspects. The point about Library Catalogues using Amazon style reviews inserted by readers is just great. I regularly use Amazon, when taking requests, or just for checking what the comments on a book I'm interested is, so I'm all for it.
As far as inviting community input and links, once again given the move towards LBC 'Libaries Building Communities' It seems tailor made for it, by not utilizing it we may well risk LBC becoming just another report which sits on shelves, with the occasional catchcry of 'LBC that seemed like a good idea, whatever happened to it?' NB. I know that in reality this would be just one strand of several in implementing it, but you get my point.
I also like the idea of using it as 'station' for things which need to be updated like say Policy and Proccedure Manuals 'Hint, Hint'.
It was also interesting to see that some Libraries are starting to utilize games in their programs and thinking outside the box and holding tournaments. http://www.libraryforlife.org/subjectguides/index.php/Games
http://libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Services_for_Teens
We've been making a lot of noise in recent years about how teenage males tend to treat libraries as anathema. Surely this is one way of getting them in. Recreation often gets looked down on as a poor second cousin to the other core Library roles; information and self education. But surely if we're all about communities embracing Libraries that shouldn't be the case. If you think having fun in Libraries is a waste of time and resources, then you need to stop and rethink.
Lastly I can also see myself getting into wiki in one of my other hats, by setting up a page for our local church. We're slowly embracing the web and this would be yet another interconnected string to existing static webpages, or more interactive ones like myspace.
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